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If You Breathe, Read This!
When the U.S. EPA proposed to cut mercury, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid and other toxic air pollutants from cement kilns, we cheered. When they announced plans to hold public hearings in Los Angeles, Dallas and Washington DC to hear from the public about why clean air is important, we got to work. If…
Read More30 Million iPhones = 30 Million Lbs. of CO2
Homemade solar charger alters the equation
Read MoreLet's Fix It
Back in my early days at Earthjustice I got into an argument with a colleage that has stuck with me ever since. She (no names) observed that if we—the movement in general—conceded that restoration of damaged ecosystems is possible that we’ll never be able to protect forests, wetlands, parks and the like because developers could…
Read MoreTar Sands Create Pipeline To The Past
Canada’s vast boreal forest (named for Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind) covers more than a third of the country’s total landmass and is a larger ecosystem than the Amazon. In addition to providing habitat for a diverse range of species including moose, lynx, grizzly bears and over 3 billion birds, the peat…
Read MoreHummm Baby?
And here I thought the bankruptcy of General Motors might start to spell the end of outrageous profligacy. That is to say, news reports that GM would shut down its Pontiac, Saturn, and Hummer divisions and start up a new high-mileage, low-emission model sounded like steps in the right direction. Especially as regards the Hummer.…
Read MoreBack in Court to Defend Wolves
Obama administration goes along with Bush-era policy
Read MoreSnake River Salmon Scuffle
The wonderful and valuable High Country News has published a very instructive buttal and rebuttal that arise from an article in the print version of the paper that analyzed the long-running struggle over four power dams built on the lower Snake River in the 1960s. Those dams and their reservoirs have long been criticized by…
Read MoreAbout Time
A press release came across my screen Wednesday afternoon announcing that a judge had found that Glen Canyon dam’s operating scheme is illegal, since it doesn’t do enough to protect endangered fish in the river. That’s putting it mildly. That dam destroyed the most beautiful, spectacular canyon country on the face of the earth. Or…
Read MoreLet's Keep Wilderness Wild
Road construction in national forests can harm fish and wildlife habitats while polluting local lakes, rivers, and streams. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule—which was made on the basis of extensive citizen input—protects 58.5 million acres of national forest from such harmful building. I will be proud to support and defend it. —Senator Barack Obama, 2008…
Read MoreGlacier N.P. Threatened by Mining: U.N. to Review Threats
Wildlife Quiz: What river valley has the most important habitat for grizzlies, wolves, wolverines and lynx in the Rocky Mountains? Hint: The river forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park, and straddles the Canadian/US border between British Columbia and Montana. Answer: The Flathead River. The Flathead was recently named British Columbia’s most endangered river,…
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